Wind Crushes Covered Slip At Deep Creek Landing Marina

NEWPORT NEWS — Johann Pfeiffer gazed out across the wreckage of the Deep Creek Landing Marina and was grateful that he had made a quick trip to the pharmacy Wednesday morning.

His new 25-foot fishing boat was buried somewhere under that pile of wood and debris, and Pfeiffer figures he could have very easily been down there, too. But he had the good fortune to have stepped away just before a sudden blast of wind blew across the water about 10:30 a.m. and tossed the slip onto the boats moored there.

"If I hadn't gone out when I did, I probably would have been right there on my boat," he said, shaking his head. "I would have been seeing this damage up close and personal."

No injuries were reported.

At the peak of the storm, more than 15,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers from Williamsburg to the Outer Banks of North Carolina were without power.

By 1 p.m., that number was down to about 1,300. By noon, most of the severe weather had passed.

But the damage had been done.

Witnesses said the wind needed only an instant to do its damage.

"The whole thing only took about 15 seconds," said marina employee Jessica Godfrey. "We saw what looked like a hazy fog cloud come right by us, and then just picked up the whole damn pier and flipped it."While emergency crews worked on the wreckage, marina staff members and local boat owners stood by and tried to assess the damage.

Godfrey said there were 28 boats at the marina when the wind hit. Some of them ended up completely buried beneath the decimated slip, and others were almost untouched.

Betty Hayes of Newport News had two boats at the marina - the High Tymes and a small catamaran that was moored next to it. From her vantage point near the parking lot, she could see the High Tymes at the far end of the dock.

"From what I can see, I'm satisfied that it isn't too badly damaged," she said. "I'm just glad no one was hurt. Right now, I'm feeling relief."

So was Pfeiffer, also a Newport News resident. Like Hayes, he could look to the far end of the dock and see his boat Just Cruisin', which appeared to be substantially intact.

But the 25-foot fishing boat that he bought in July was completely hidden from view under what used to be the slip.

A few moments earlier, he had been able to get close enough to take a quick look, but he said it was too soon to determine the damage.

"I'm hoping that the damage I saw is all that will need to be repaired," he said. "But once they get it out from under all of the debris, if there's more damage to the top or to other parts of the boat, it might be a total loss."